Drunken man caught on date by his girlfriend crashed car and headbutted garda

Fiona Ferguson
– 09 October 2015 03:00 AM

Garda: File photo

A MAN who drunkenly drove into parked cars after his date went wrong and then headbutted a garda has been jailed for 21 months.

Christopher Morrissey (29) had got a taxi back from a pub with his date -who he met online - and they were sitting in his car outside his home chatting before he went into the house to get something.

His then-partner came out of the house and shouted at the woman that she was his girlfriend.

Collided

Morrissey, who was disqualified from driving, tried to turn the car around but instead collided with the other vehicles.

He later headbutted a garda as he was being put into a squad car, injuring the man's mouth and damaging his teeth.

Morrissey, of Howth Road, Clontarf, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Garda Kevin Gaynor causing him harm, resisting arrest, refusing to give a sample of blood or urine, intoxication in a public place, breach of the peace and driving without insurance in Clontarf in the early hours of October 4, 2014. The court heard Morrissey, who has 60 previous convictions, had been disqualified from driving a number of times.

Most recently he was disqualified for periods of 12 and 15 years in 2011.

Counsel for Morrissey, Fiona Murphy, said he had been extremely intoxicated and accepted he was 100pc wrong.

She said he has been "distraught" over the way he treated his now ex-girlfriend and the gardai. Ms Murphy said Morrissey and his then-partner had been together for seven years, but had suffered serious issues which took a toll on the relationship.

She asked the court to take the view that Morrissey had made a very serious mistake and consider a non-custodial option.